Rome, 5 May 2025
Stories, testimonies, projects in the spotlight of 'Frecciarossa Game On - Women in Sport’ - the first event dedicated to sport and women's empowerment, organised by the FIGC Women's Serie A Division, in partnership with Frecciarossa, Trenitalia’s (FS Group) high-speed train.
The day unfolded in two parts: first, a time for discussion and cross-disciplinary debate on women's leadership, featuring successful women in their respective sport, culture and corporate contexts. And then another part, where with the best female soccer players (MVP) of the season drawing to a close were awarded. The eBay Women's Serie A will end on the weekend with the awarding ceremony of the newly crowned Italian champion team Juventus, at the Allianz Stadium after the match against Inter Milan.
'To foster its development, Italian football needs a greater presence of women and their contribution, which is why the FIGC has implemented its strategy aimed at strengthening women's empowerment in all sectors,' stated FIGC Chairman, Gabriele Gravina. ‘This is a fundamental contribution in terms of values, skills and, above all, perspectives. Thanks to FS Group and Trenitalia’s extraordinary sensitivity. and the work carried out by the Division chaired by Federica Cappelletti, today's event bears witness to this, in its exceptionally transversal nature'.
'Women in Sport is not a random title. This formula is an important sign of our times,’ said the President of the Professional Women's Serie A Division, Federica Cappelletti. ‘We are living in the golden age of women's sports, celebrating their growth, development, constant affirmation and consecration, as proven by the election a few weeks ago of Kirsty Coventry as IOC president. And Italian football is embracing this era as well: in a few days we will be celebrating Juventus' Scudetto in a great venue such as the Allianz Stadium in Turin, a few weeks from now we will all be cheering on the senior national team at the European Championship, and before that for the Under 17 and Under 19 youth national teams, in an all-Italian summer. This virtuous path towards sustainability is fostered by the excellent work and investment of the clubs, the Federation and the Division I am proud to lead. At the same time, we are witnessing a tangible general development, where, in addition to female members nearing 50,000, the expanding territorial allows women's football to be more and more present and structured, alongside with the fan base, if we consider that we have gone from one million in 2018 to seven million Italians currently following women's football. By presenting the new Serie A Women brand, we celebrate the end of a sporting season and the beginning of a new era'.
'The FS Group, together with Trenitalia, is very conscious about women’s empowerment, and has always set itself the goal of spreading a culture focusing on gender-equal talent enhancement, inside and outside the company' said Gianpiero Strisciuglio, CEO and General Manager of Trenitalia. 'Initiatives such as 'Frecciarossa Game On - Women in Sport 2025' not only concretise our support for sport, but for women's leadership in general.’
FIRST HALF
For two years, gender violence has been the subject of #MAIPIÙ, a permanent campaign of the Women's Serie A Division, alongside Fondazione Una Nessuna Centomila, represented by vice-chairwoman Lella Palladino, in a panel attended by president Federica Cappelletti, Trenitalia's AV production manager Monia Ricci, attorney Flavia Tortorella Focus - with a focus on digital gender violence (focus of the social responsibility activities by the Women's Serie A Division on the last International Women's Rights Day on 8 March) and Valeria Altobelli, singer and actress, who took part in the 'Women Aid’ musical project, bringing together artists from five continents in a unique and inspiring experience to celebrate the power of women in music.
There was great emotion at Officine Farneto, the venue that hosted the event, when actress Paola Minaccioni took the stage. 'Non è colpa tua’ (It's not your fault), the monologue on gender violence, once again invited everyone to a deep reflection.
SECOND HALF
There are more and more successful women in Italian football, thanks to the results achieved over the years by Serie A clubs, the national team and the increasing number of female FIGC members (at the end of the 2023-24 season there were 45,785). Elena Linari, Roma defender, and Cristiana Girelli, Juventus striker, were the protagonists of the second half of 'Game On', together with Francesca Granzotto, Italian rugby player, who is about to play the World Cup in England (Italy's football team, on the other hand, will play the European Championship in Switzerland) and Barbara Rossi, sports director of SMI Roma Volleyball. 'Beyond the result - Stories of sport, personal challenges and growth beyond the field' was the title of the panel, moderated by journalist Alessia Tarquinio (as the rest of the event).
Then, the audience at Officine Farneto celebrated Vero Boquete, start of the Fiorentina soccer team and winner of the 'Frecciarossa Women in Sport Award - Talent has no gender', and Manuela Giugliano, captain of the Roma soccer team and the first Italian in history to be included among the nominees for the Golden Ball. And then the Most Valuable Players, the best female players of the season: for the second time in her career (following the first time in the 2020-21 season), the 'prize’ for best overall went to Cristiana Girelli, Italian champion who plays with Juventus, just like Sofia Cantore, nominated best striker. The other prizes: Gina Chmielinski (Sassuolo) best midfielder, Ivana Andres (Inter Milan) best defender, Cecilia Runarsdottir (Inter Milan) best goalkeeper, Giorgia Arrigoni (Milan) best young player and one of the many players who have gone from the Primavera series to Serie A in one year. The 'Game On' of their careers in a Women's Serie A that, with the rebranding unveiled today, enters a new dimension, the Serie A Women.